Why do you work, have you thought about it. Why do you get off your bed every morning, hustling to get your children ready for school, getting stuck in traffic, watching all the crazy driving, sometimes driving crazy yourself because you don’t want to be late for work.
Going through that cycle every day Monday to Friday and in some cases, Saturday and Sundays. Year in and Year out for what. To pay your bills at the end of the month, Nah, I don’t buy into that, life has so much more. A lot of people go through life without finding their work and settling for a job.
Now you may be wondering how are they different; well it is quite simple. Your job is what your employer pays you to do; your work is what you were born to do. If you find yourself aimlessly thinking as I have done before, “why am I still at this job” you have settle for a paycheque and still looking for your work.
If you find yourself frustrated on a Monday morning, you are not living your purpose. Ask yourself the following questions: 1. What is my purpose here? 2. How can I bring more meaning to my work? 3. Is this job what I am really meant to do? 4. Is there a place for me and my true values in this workplace?
If the answer to the questions is no, do me a favor, stop whatever you are doing, take a walk, take a drive, go to a quiet place and zero in on you and honestly find your meaning and purpose in your life. Time is too short.
99% of the people I have talk to, all indicated that if they have a choice they will do something different with their life. So my immediate question is “who said you don’t have a choice and what made you feel you don’t have a choice.” You always have choices, but unfortunately, some people are made to believe that their life is tied to a particular job or a specific person.
Don't be fooled; there are a lot of choices. Some people justify their inaction by saying well at least I have a job and I should be grateful because plenty of people don’t have any. We called that cognitive dissonance when there is a conflict between what you are thinking and what you are doing, so to reduce the dissonance you find some way to justify your action.
For example, you are on a diet, and you pass by a store and see a donut in the window. You stop by the store, man that donuts looks good, but in your mind, you think I am on a diet, I cannot have this donut. So you have this conflict going on. Should I buy it? So to justify your action or to reduce the dissonance, you say to yourself I will only have this one, and I will start my dieting from tomorrow.
It the same thing with your life, you know you have something more inside of you, you feel it every day. You know inside your heart you hate what you are doing, but you find every reason to justify your actions, and in the process, life passes right before your eyes with the graveyard waiting for you.
According to late Dr. Myles Munroe, you must die empty, you must make your deposit to the world, and that deposit is your gifts you were blessed with, the gifts you were born with, and when you find the courage to run after your dream, your life becomes purposeful.
“Match your job, your career, and your calling."
To make sense of your life, you must find your calling (purpose), and that should fit within your job and your career. If you found your work but stuck in a job that is far different from your purpose in life, you will never be satisfied. You will be withholding something our generation and the generation to come are supposed to receive from you.
So it is critical to make every effort to find your purpose, find your work if you haven’t found it yet keep looking, don’t give up. Steve Jobs said something that was very telling:
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle”.
I am making a difference in my writing, and the articles we publish on Leadership First every day, the feedback I receive is tremendous and the articles have in some way made a difference in someone life.
Remember you were created for a purpose; find your passion and your purpose will follow. Don’t allow fear to hold you back.